October opening eyed for new Speedway

GRAND HAVEN TWP. — It won’t be too much longer before the new Speedway fuel station opens on the corner of Hayes Street and U.S. 31 in Grand Haven Township.

“Speedway is moving right along,” township planner Stacey Fedewa said. “Construction has been going so well they anticipate being done two weeks earlier than previously estimated. The contractor, L&R Construction Services, anticipates turning the site over to Speedway the beginning of October.”

Fedewa said Speedway then anticipates opening for business on Oct. 5.

Work on getting the store built began about two years ago when developers submitted an application to the township to develop a portion of the site on the northwest corner of Hayes Street, 172nd Avenue and U.S. 31. The project was approved by the Township Board in March 2016, but it faced construction delays, including having to address complexities of the main entrance to the gas station, which is off Hayes and across from the Grand Haven 9 movie theater.

The new station will have seven pump islands and 14 fueling stations, and a commercial fueling area with four pump islands and three fueling stations. The site will also feature an outdoor seating area and an outdoor area for seasonal merchandise sales, which will be enclosed with ornamental metal fencing. Township officials also note that the location will include a Speedy Café, which will offer additional food choices such as made-to-order sandwiches, as well as indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Fedewa noted that Speedway’s planned unit development (PUD) does have a second phase of future development, but not through Speedway.

“Speedway and North Star Commercial partnered on the PUD application, with the second phase being commercial retail that would be developed by North Star as market demands and/or as businesses are recruited,” she said.